From the Pastor’s Heart

Read Joel 2:12-14
Return to the Lord your God!
Recalling the forty days during which Christ spent in the wilderness, our Lenten journey begins with a call to repentance and to resist temptation. “Return to the Lord your God, who is merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Joel 2:13)” is the refrain sung by the church at worship. Forsake the ways of the world and return to following the path set before you by your Lord and God. In order that we may do this, we begin our Lenten journey together with the corporate confession of Ash Wednesday and hear the words of God’s love and promise of his grace. These are but the first steps along the path toward Golgotha, and ultimately the empty tomb of Easter. So that we may make this journey together in faith, I strongly encourage everyone at St. Jacob’s to focus on God’s activity in your lives and to participate in the services and activities of Lent.
Return to Worship
The season of Lent is always a good time to center ourselves and our families in the rich traditions of the church. Gathered with God’s people on Sundays and again during Wednesday vespers, we renew our commitment to offer God our worship and praise, hear God’s Word through sermon and song, and receive his forgiveness and grace through the sacrament of the altar. Lent is a good time to renew our passion for such worship through rich liturgy and prayer, begging Kyrie eleison, Christi eleison, that is Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy. Each Sunday during Lent, our sermon series will focus on the humanity of Christ as God came to live among his people, and how Jesus gave himself away as sacrifice for all so that we may live in God’s mercy and be recipients of his grace.
Focus on Scripture
In the early church, the forty days of Lent was a time for instruction in the basic truths of the Christian faith. Commitment to daily reading and study of Holy Scripture; therefore, a central part of one’s faith formation during Lent and beyond. In order to live lives of faith and be followers of Christ Jesus, one must continue to learn of the mighty acts of God and the history of our salvation. So many of our members do not take advantage of Sunday School and small group Bible study, thus my question for you during this Lenten pilgrimage is, from where are you learning the elements of the Christian faith? Where are you learning about your faith and call if not from the church at Sunday School and Bible study? Worship is meant to praise and glorify God while connecting faith and life. It is imperative that Christians continue in life long faith formation within the community of Christ. I strongly encourage each of you to dedicate yourselves to daily reading of Holy Scripture and to participate in study of God’s Word in the fellowship of the church.
Focus on Prayer
What is prayer if not our personal and intimate communication with God? Given the reality of what prayer is, let me ask another question; How is your prayer life? Living in such a fast paced world, we often forget to slow down and enjoy conversation with our loving God. Yet God is always with us, always walking by our side, leading us to the good gifts of his kingdom. Lent is a good time to remember to slow down, be still and listen to the voice of God. It is a good time to enjoy quiet moments in prayer and hear God’s answers to the concerns we bring before him. I encourage everyone during these forty days and beyond to take time for daily prayer, either in the quietness of your homes, or in the quietness of your hearts. Then join your sisters and brothers in Christ on Sundays for the prayer and ritual of worship on Sunday as we join our voices lifting the concerns of others before God.
Focus on Discipleship
As we continue to study God’s Word and grow in faith, our thankful response to God’s grace grows as well. During the forty days of Lent, Christians recommit their lives to being faithful disciples of Christ, following his example of ministry for the sake of others. Lent, therefore, is a good time to examine your level of giving of time talent and treasure, to become a cheerful giver of the gifts which God first has given unto us. Again, I strongly encourage everyone to examine their level of giving in each of these areas. I encourage you to participate in the services of the Lord’s house, the ministries we share for the sake of those in our community and world, and to give thanks daily for the opportunity to be as Christ for others.
On Ash Wednesday we begin the pilgrimage anew, yet it is the journey of our lives as people of God. Yes, this is a rather lengthy contribution to the newsletter, but hear in my words the invitation to grow in faith, learn the ways of God, and become a blessing for those whom God places in your midst. When the steps toward Golgotha become especially strenuous, remember what it is that Christ endured for our sake. Gather with your sisters and brothers at St. Jacob’s, and return to the Lord your God, who is merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila